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SANDY, Ore. – A small dog was the only survivor of a fiery car crash that killed 4 people in Clackamas County early Monday morning.

The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. near Southeast Hudson and Lusted roads, north of Sandy.

Duane Mickelson, who lives nearby, woke up to the sound of the crash and tried to save the passengers in the car.

"When I first heard it, I was asleep," he said. "I thought it was, a tree fell over a power line."

Mickelson went outside and saw the crash. He called 911 and tried to help the people in the car.

"I couldn't get the front door open," Mickelson said. "I got the door on this side open, the driver's side, and he was loose. So I just pulled him out, laid him on the ground and ran around to the other side."

Mickelson said at that point the car was too hot for him to pull anyone else out.

"I figured those in the front didn't make it at all, and the only one making noise is the one I pulled out," said Mickelson.

Deputies said the passenger Mickelson pulled out was taken by LifeFlight to a hospital, where they later died.

The three others in the car could not escape and died at the scene.

A small dog escaped the car after Mickelson opened a door, deputies said. The dog was later spotted near the crash scene. A deputy took the dog to a veterinary hospital for treatment for burns and other injuries.

The sheriff's office said deputies are using the dog's microchip in their effort to identify at least one of the crash victims.